Title: Identify the structures, functions, and surgical pathologies of the gastrointestinal system.
Course: Surgical Technologist I (14056-I) > Section: Understanding Structures, Functions, and Surgical Pathologies of Body Systems

Identification should include

- the organs of the digestive tract and their structures and functions
- associated structures of digestion
- the labeling of various ducts and their point of convergence
- the essential mechanical and chemical steps in digestion
- the factors of absorption
- the role of blood sugar
- the role of the hypothalamus
- the role of the basal metabolic rate in the digestive process
- pathologies (e.g., appendicitis, gastric bypasses, colostomies, hiatal hernia, hemorrhoids, tumors).

Process/Skill Questions:

- How would one describe the essential mechanical and chemical steps in the digestion process?
- What is the process of absorption? What are the location and structure of villi? How do villi play a role in absorption?
- How does plasma protein level affect absorption?
- What are mechanisms that aid in the maintenance of blood sugar?
- What is the role of the hypothalamus in the regulation of food intake?
- What is the role of the liver in the digestion process?
- How can the digestive system be affected by surgery performed on another system?
- What effect does aging have on the digestive system? How can the age of the patient affect his or her care during and after gastrointestinal surgery?